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CNN Headlines: Tensions Escalating In Strait Of Hormuz Putting Fragile Ceasefire To The Test; Gas Prices Soar In Cities Like Chicago; More Than 100 People Stranded On Cruise Ship; Widespread Storms Could Bring Threat Of Tornadoes. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired May 05, 2026 - 05:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[05:00:23]

BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: At this hour: the fragile ceasefire in Iran hanging in the balance. We'll walk you through the latest in a live report.

And a man opened fire near the Washington Monument. We've got new details emerging about what happened when the Secret Service took him down.

And --

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JAKE ROSMARIN, STRANDED CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER: We're not just a story. We're not just headlines.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: A deadly outbreak on a cruise ship. For the first time, we're hearing from an American stuck on board.

And the Met Gala was full of surprises, with some people asking, who is that?

Good morning, everyone. I'm Brad Smith. This is CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. Glad that you're with us this morning.

We've got a volatile situation that we're tracking. It's unfolding this morning in the Strait of Hormuz with both Iran and the U.S. firing shots there in recent hours, putting the fragile cease fire in question.

And overnight, we heard from a top Iranian official on social media. So let's get right to CNN's Paula Hancocks, who is live now -- Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Brad.

Well, this is from the parliament speaker, who has effectively blamed the United States for violating the ceasefire because the U.S. was trying to put this freedom of navigation plan in place, trying to guide vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. Now, we saw that it did lead to a number of incidents where fire was traded between the U.S. and Iran. The U.S. claiming that it actually took out about six small Iranian ships. The Iranians claim that they hit a U.S. navy boat, which the U.S. said simply wasn't true.

And what we did see is that once again, where I am here, the UAE was brought into this conflict. Iran carried out missile and drone attacks against the gulf nation once again, 19 projectiles were engaged. We know that one of them hit an oil facility on the East Coast in Fujairah. There was a major fire that ensued after that. Three Indian nationals were moderately injured as well. This has been condemned by both the UAE and other Gulf nations and India.

But at this point it does appear as though President Trump is trying to downplay what has happened when it came to the UAE attacks. He said, they were shot down for the most part, one got through, not huge damage, suggesting he doesn't have the appetite for a full blown, more permanent increase in hostilities -- Brad.

SMITH: All right. Paula Hancocks, with what we know right now, live in Abu Dhabi. Thank you, Paula.

Well, later this morning, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will hold a briefing at the Pentagon. CNN will bring you the latest then. And this is where the war comes directly back to you and me at the gas pump.

Take a look at this. In Chicago, gas prices well above 5 bucks a gallon. And in some areas of the state, hovering around $6 for unleaded. That's according to GasBuddy.

Nationwide, AAA says this morning that gas prices are averaging $4.48 for regular unleaded. That is up slightly from yesterday. But compared to a year ago, gas is up more than $1.30 a gallon. No doubt we're all feeling it right now.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, I commute from the suburbs in Blue Island, so I drive up here and it's crazy. Right now, gas prices are pretty crazy. They're outrageous.

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SMITH: To top it all off, the cost of oil per barrel hit its highest price of the year on Monday at $114 per barrel, and right now, it is slightly off of that high.

Let's take you now to U.S. politics, where voters in Indiana and Ohio, they head to the polls today for their state primaries. In Indiana, the story is one of potential political retribution. Seven state senators are facing primary challengers today. Challengers all backed by President Trump. The seven opposed Trump's plans to redraw Indiana's congressional map, which might have helped the GOP gain seats in the U.S. House, and Trump supported groups have spent millions to try to defeat all of them.

Now, tonight's results could send a powerful message to Republicans nationwide on just how big a price they could pay for opposing Trump's plans.

Now, meantime, in Ohio's Republican primary for governor, Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy is looking for a big win tonight in order to take on Democratic challenger Amy Acton in November. She's running unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

By the way, we hope you join us for CNN's coverage of the California governor's debate tonight.

[05:05:04]

You can watch it on CNN and CNN All Access starting at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

More than 100 people are stranded on a cruise ship in a suspected hantavirus outbreak that has killed at least three people; and 17 Americans are among those stuck on the MV Hondius off the coast of West Africa. Two cases so far have been confirmed to be hantavirus, and at least three other people from the cruise are sick. A British national in critical condition has been evacuated.

The cruise company Oceanwide Expeditions is preparing to evacuate two others. They say they are considering sailing on to Spain's Canary Islands, and we're hearing from a content creator who is on the ship right now

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JAKE ROSMARIN, STRANDED CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER: We're not just a story. We're not just headlines. We're people -- people with families, with lives, with people waiting for us at home. There's a lot of uncertainty, and that's the hardest part. All we want right now is to feel safe, to have clarity, and to get home.

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SMITH: According to the CDC, hantaviruses commonly spread through contact with rodents and become a severe respiratory illness. There's no cure for the infection.

Later on in the show, we'll take a look at just how contagious this illness can be.

Breaking news this morning, an explosion in the world's firework capital in China. Twenty-six people have been killed, 61 have been injured. The city's mayor says that production at the firework factories have been suspended. The crews are working on a second round of rescue sweeps across the blast zone. Nearly 500 rescuers across five teams are mobilized using three rescue robots to scan the area.

Chinese Leader Xi Jinping is urging all out efforts to search for those who are still unaccounted for. State media reports that the shock wave from the blast. It shattered windows of nearby buildings. Smoke here filling the sky in central China's Hunan province, forcing people in the rural community to move away from the smoke.

A severe weather threat is starting to ramp up across the South.

Let's get straight to our meteorologist, Chris Warren.

Chris, what are you watching right now?

CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, the zone we're watching right now throughout the overnight hours and tomorrow is going to be here across parts of the south where were seeing the storms right now includes Missouri and once again, throughout the Ohio Valley.

This is the risk zone for today. Can't rule out a tornado, but large hail, damaging winds, the main threat and well see even into the overnight hours, 2:30 in the morning tonight. So early Wednesday morning, storms firing, continuing to fire throughout the day into Wednesday and storms pushing through Atlanta and the southeast as well.

So, Brad, as you look at Wednesday, once again, some of the same areas under the threat zone today will be back in it again tomorrow, some of it very early in the morning.

SMITH: All right. A lot to keep tabs on there. Chris, thanks so much.

Jeff Bezos was a no-show on the Met Gala carpet for last nights annual event. Instead, his wife, Lauren Sanchez Bezos, walked by all the cameras. There had been a lot of backlash after it was announced that they would be sponsoring the big event. They were both honorary co- chairs.

But a lot of talk was about Beyonce. The Queen Bey and her return to the Met Gala for the first time in ten years. Her dress bling in her bones, sparkling from head to toe. She was there with husband Jay-Z and daughter Blue Ivy.

And here is Nicole Kidman, who also brought her daughter. Kidman was wearing Chanel as she co-chaired the gala.

But take a look at these two Met Gala guests. Got to ask, do you recognize them? Lots of people had to do a double take, myself included. We'll let you in on that secret. And some of the most talked about fashion later in the show.

Also coming up, we've got this.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We noticed that chairs had been moved around in the house. We noticed that some of our food was missing.

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SMITH: Imagine finding out that someone was living in the basement of your house. It happened to this family. We've got that story later in the hour.

Stay with us. You're watching CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. We're also going to be covering the Spirit shutdown, how this will

have a ripple effect on summer travel, airfares.

And wait until you hear why a federal judge is apologizing to the man accused of trying to assassinate President Trump.

All that and much more coming your way.

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[05:14:27]

SMITH: A bittersweet goodbye for former Spirit Airlines employees. They gathered for one last time yesterday, with many wearing their uniforms again following the airlines shutdown after more than three decades in business. The company had struggled financially for years and hadn't turned a profit since the pandemic. It tried to secure a federal bailout, but when that deal fell apart, Spirit grounded all flights on Saturday.

Now, unions are stepping in, fighting to get workers the pay and benefits they are owed.

[05:15:00]

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WILLIAM ROMAN, FORMER SPIRIT FLIGHT ATTENDANT: The hardest part is what are the flight attendants going to do? And the other employees? Because there's just not enough work for everybody here. When it comes to -- the airline industry has been suffering tremendously over the last couple of years. And so there's just not enough work.

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SMITH: The airline's abrupt collapse is adding new uncertainty to what was already expected to be a busy and potentially messy summer travel season.

CNN's Karin Caifa has a closer look at the ripple effect and what you can expect.

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KARIN CAIFA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ahead of a summer when airfares were already expected to climb due to the ongoing conflict between the U.S. and Iran, competition just got tighter.

KATY NASTRO, GOING.COM TRAVEL EXPERT: We are in for not just a turbulent time because of the higher jet fuel prices, but with Spirit out of the market, that's one fewer competitor really setting the bar.

CAIFA (voice-over): An average of 300 flights and 60,000 passengers per day in the next month alone will be impacted by the shutdown of Spirit Airlines. That means fewer open seats across the industry and fewer incentives for other airlines to keep fares low in markets. The budget carrier has now exited.

SUMMER HULL, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF CONTENT, THE POINTS GUY: Pretty much anyone who did have a spirit airlines ticket is going to need to be looking for all new fares, and there won't be discounts really, if you're looking deeper into the summer for travel.

CAIFA (voice-over): Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Spirit passengers will receive refunds.

SEAN DUFFY, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: They have a reserve fund. You will be refunded to your original form of payment if you bought directly from Spirit.

CAIFA (voice-over): And Spirit says customers who booked through third party sites or travel agents should reach out to those entities to facilitate refunds. Other airlines are offering so-called rescue fares for Spirit passengers for immediate travel. But Katy Nastro of travel website Going says they're limited.

NASTRO: There's not an endless supply of seats to rebook on, and we're even hearing of some stranded passengers in select markets like Orlando, for example, that are waiting, you know, a few days to get rebooked.

CAIFA (voice-over): Spirit had plans to emerge from a second bankruptcy in February, but soaring jet fuel prices took a toll on the smaller budget carrier.

In Washington, I'm Karin Caifa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: All right. Thank you, Karin.

We've got new developments in the case of the man accused in last month's shooting at the White House correspondents dinner. A federal judge is calling out how a high profile defendant is being treated behind bars in court yesterday. The judge apologized to Cole Allen and sharply criticized the D.C. Department of Corrections over his jail conditions. This comes after Allen's attorneys raised concerns, saying he was held in solitary confinement and put in a restrictive vest.

Here's former federal prosecutor Elie Honig with his reaction to the judge's statement.

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ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: It's perfectly fine for judges to make sure that inmates are being held under humane, reasonable conditions. But to apologize, as this judge did on the record, to a person who just tried to essentially decapitate the leader of our entire government, of our executive branch, that's ridiculous. This person is entitled to due process. He's entitled to a fair trial, but not an apology from anybody.

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SMITH: Before wrapping up yesterday, the judge ordered the jail to update Allen on any housing decision. We'll continue to track that.

Still to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, we'll hear from a man who witnessed this terrifying scene when an airplane made a direct hit on this tractor trailer. Plus, the ongoing and high profile legal battle between actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni may be over. Details on a reported settlement, straight ahead.

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[05:23:05]

SMITH: The National Transportation Safety Board is calling that heart stopping collision between a United Airlines flight and a bakery truck an accident. Investigators are in Newark, New Jersey, to officially determine how this happened. And a witness sits down with CNN to describe what he saw.

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PATRICK OYULU, WITNESSED UNITED AIRLINES PLANE STRIKE TRUCK: Suddenly, you see this thing that is swooshing over you, just directly over you, the landing gear, and you're thinking, oh my God, this is a movie. What are we seeing here? And just in the opposite lane, is this truck or semi-trailer. And I thought the landing gear had actually, you know, clipped on that. And I saw a mixture of smoke and debris -- what I thought was debris.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: On top of the bakery truck.

OYULU: Yes. And I had my phone, you know, I'm a plane spotter. I had my phone ready to --

BURNETT: That's incredible. You happen to be a plane spotter and you're there when this happens.

OYULU: Exactly. But then I expect it to shoot right ahead of me. Then when this thing swooshes from left to right, and then I turn around. Luckily for me, I took the four seconds just before it landed, and it was so incredible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Wow. The driver only had minor injuries and the plane was carrying more than 200 people from Italy, and it landed safely.

Britney Spears will not go to jail in her DUI case. Instead, she pleaded guilty through her attorney in court, agreeing to a lesser charge. That deal comes with one year of probation, a required DUI class and state ordered fines.

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ERIK NASARENKO, VENTURA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: You are a famous singer or a school teacher. We want the same thing for each and every first time misdemeanant offender in Ventura county that they abide by all laws.

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SMITH: Police arrested Spears in March after they say that she was driving erratically and quickly on a southern California highway. Officers then charged her with DUI, and just last month, she checked into a treatment facility on her own.

The high profile legal battle between Blake lively and Justin Baldoni's production company will no longer go to trial. The parties reached a settlement just two weeks before jury selection was set to begin. Here's what we know about the settlement

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REPORTER: Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have reached a settlement in their legal battle, Reuters reports, citing a joint statement from both. The trial for the high profile legal battle surrounding disputes from their 2024 film "It Ends with Us", was slated to begin in two weeks. The details of the settlement have not been released.

Attorneys for Lively and the remaining defendants released this joint statement, "The end product, the movie, 'It Ends With Us', is a source of pride to all of us who work to bring it to life, raising awareness and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors and all survivors is a goal that we stand behind. It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online.

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SMITH: Straight ahead on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS: Several swastikas spray painted on New York's synagogues and homes, police trying to find out who did it.

And later, why the legendary Dolly Parton is canceling her upcoming Las Vegas residency.

We've got what you need to know coming your way.

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